Passengers travelling by train, bus and HÉV services in Hungary will face higher penalties from 2 November. The standard surcharge for travelling without a valid ticket will rise by HUF 5,000, while reduced fines for early payment are also going up.
Higher fines on trains, buses and HÉV services from November
Hungary’s MÁV Group has announced an increase in surcharges across intercity trains, buses and HÉV suburban railway services from 2 November.
The standard penalty for travelling without a valid ticket will increase from HUF 25,000 (approximately EUR 68) to HUF 30,000 (approximately EUR 82). The same higher surcharge will apply to various breaches of passenger rules, including smoking on trains or at stations, dirtying vehicles and using discounts without being entitled to them.
Passengers who pay their fine promptly can still benefit from reduced rates. However, these will also increase: on buses, passengers paying on the spot or within three working days will have to pay HUF 15,000 (EUR 41) instead of HUF 12,000 (EUR 33). The same reduced rate will apply on HÉV services for payments made within two working days.
The HUF 50,000 (EUR 137) surcharge for payments made more than 30 days after the penalty is issued will remain unchanged.
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Budapest commuters: remember to buy your train ticket before boarding
The MÁV Group is particularly reminding passengers about the mandatory advance ticket purchase zones introduced around Budapest two years ago.
At all stations and stops along the affected railway sections, passengers must have a valid ticket before boarding any train. Buying one from the ticket inspector after getting on is not sufficient to avoid the higher penalty.
The affected routes include connections between Budapest and:
- Győr
- Esztergom
- Székesfehérvár
- Pusztaszabolcs
- Szob
- Veresegyház and Vác
- Hatvan
- Cegléd and Szolnok
- Nagykáta
- Pestszentimre
The rule applies to all stations and stops along the listed sections, not just their final destinations.
Passengers should also check whether they need a seat reservation and whether their tickets are valid for the correct train, departure time and entire journey.
If there is no working ticket machine or open ticket office at the station, tickets can be purchased online through the MÁVPlusz mobile app or the official MÁV ticket website. However, the purchase must still be completed before boarding.
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Other penalties are changing too
The increase is not limited to passengers travelling without tickets in the mandatory advance-purchase zones.
From 2 November, the HUF 30,000 (EUR 82) surcharge will also apply across intercity trains, buses and HÉV services in cases such as the unauthorised use of travel discounts and breaches of passenger regulations.
On HÉV services, the fee for subsequently presenting a travel pass purchased on the day the penalty was issued will also increase, from HUF 6,500 (EUR 18) to HUF 7,500 (EUR 20.5).
There is, however, one way to reduce certain penalties considerably. Passengers who can prove within 15 days that they already held a valid ticket, pass or travel entitlement at the time of inspection can have the surcharge reduced to an administration fee. This is HUF 2,600 (EUR 7.1) on trains and HUF 2,500 (EUR 6.8) on buses.
Fines on tram-train services will not change.
Thousands of penalties already issued this year
According to MÁV Group data, inspectors issued 5,300 penalties on HÉV services during the first nine months of this year, generating almost HUF 53.5 million in revenue.
The figures were even higher on other services. Nearly 14,700 penalty cases were recorded on trains, generating HUF 88.5 million, while buses accounted for more than 14,500 cases and HUF 97 million in penalty revenue.
The most common reasons included travelling without a valid ticket or pass, failing to provide proof of eligibility for a discount, and being unable to demonstrate that the ticket or pass belonged to the passenger.
MÁV Group says many of these situations can easily be avoided by checking travel documents before departure. From November, that small precaution could save passengers an additional HUF 5,000.
